Saint Homobono 

Avanzino Nucci rendered this drawing of Saint Homobono in pen and brown ink with brown wash, heightening with white, around the late 16th or early 17th century. Nucci lived and worked in Rome during the height of the Counter-Reformation, when the Catholic Church was attempting to reform itself and counteract the rise of Protestantism. The proliferation of images such as this was one means of propagating Catholic doctrine and championing its saints. Saint Homobono, the patron saint of business people, tailors, and Cremona, epitomizes good Christian values. Nucci’s image would likely have been commissioned by a religious order and may have served as a preparatory sketch for a larger painting or fresco in a church or chapel. Art historians rely on various resources to understand this drawing, including archival documents, religious texts, and other visual sources. By situating the work within its historical context, we can better appreciate its intended audience and its role in promoting the values of the Counter-Reformation.